Conventional police batons were at one time in the form of a rigid, one-piece, elongate, inextensible structure of solid cross section. Improvements in such batons include those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,140, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,348, which disclose a two-piece structure comprising a rigid, elongate, tubular structure and a rigid, elongate shaft disposed in the tube and movable therein relative to the tube from a collapsed or retracted position to an expanded or extended position. These patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention represents yet another improvement in the field of police batons, which allows the police officer to carry the police baton much more easily when it is in the refracted position, provides enhanced absorption of impact between elements of the baton, and improves the alignment of the elements of the baton with respect to one another.